La Liga boss left feeling 'guilty' after Rangers hero dealt 'complex' injury that could rule him out for 9 months
The former Rangers defender’s current club have broken their silence over the severity of his injury
Leganes head coach Borja Jimenez admits he “felt guilty” after Rangers hero Borna Barisic suffered a potentially career-ending injury on his La Liga debut.
The Croatian international defender - who joined the relegation-threatened Spanish top-flight side on loan from Turkish club Trabzonspor on Deadline Day - was thrown in at the deep end by Jimenez amid a shortage of left-sided defensive options during the 2-0 loss away at fellow strugglers Valencia.
But Barisic lasted just 10 minutes before rupturing his ACL on his first start for his new employer and now faces a lengthy lay-off of up to nine months to cap off what has been a disastrous first season away from Glasgow for the former NK Osijek star.
The 32-year-old left back has endured plenty of misfortune since leaving Ibrox as a free agent last summer, with his move to Turkey proving hugely underwhelming due to a combination of injury setbacks and a lack of game time.
In stark contrast to his former Light Blues teammate John Lundstram, he was unable to nail down a regular starting place and the switch to Spain was viewed as a clean slate and a fresh start for the player.
However, Barisic now faces a gruelling rehabilitation process that is destined to keep him on the sidelines for most of the calendar year after he went to ground clutching his knee at the Mestalla Stadium on Sunday. And there are growing fears that the severity of the injury could prove difficult to recover from fully at his age, which could potentially bring a premature and devastating end to his career.
It leaves Jimenez without a player of vast experience, who was recruited to help them in their battle against the drop with a proverbial six-pointer up next against Deportivo Alaves this weekend. The Spaniard made the decision to drop mainstay Javi Hernandez in place of his new signing, but must now reintroduce Hernandez to fill the role.
Speaking out for the first time after the full extent of Barisic’s injury became clear, Jimenez admitted: “He is upset because he has had bad luck. It has been the most difficult week of the year emotionally. I felt guilty. He (Barisic) comes to help and he can’t. He has to be helped, so that the operation goes well.
“I think that what happens around the club affects everyone. Here and in all clubs. We are people. We have feelings. Last week, a lot of negative things happened to us. On a mental level, the other day they were affected, especially by what happened with Barisic. That situation is complex.”